Strife. A simpler and fresh MOBA

24/03/2015 11:27:03

MOBA genre will be the star of all games news next year, and some studios, like the veteran S2 Games, dare to release a second title inside this genre, with very good results.

Strife doesn’t fight against Heroes of Newerth, as it’s focused on a very different audience: the gamers that don’t dare or reject MOBA games because they are not experienced enough in this kind of games and they can’t even launch League of Legends or Dota 2 because of the skilled opponents.

The target is very varied and has been left behind by other games: players coming from consoles, casual games or other genres that Strife wants to attract with a simpler game to avoid frustration. The point to proof is, once the gamer is experienced enough, how it will keep the interest in the game to avoid hardcore players to move to other games. By now, this is what Strife offers:

Shortest way is the better way

Strife unleashes itself and makes our lives easier: smaller maps where the action is faster (will be easier to discover enemies and also to be discovered by them), with matches that don’t last longer than 30 minutes. Crafting system give us freedom and the lines between traditional roles in this kind of games are blurred, as they are focused on the different skills each player chooses for his hero instead of a specific class.

Deeper storyline

In most MOBA games the story is a secondary feature that only console games seems to take care of. Strife takes place in a world where different characters with different origins live together, each with a reason to fight for. S2 Games is also planning the release of a comic series, in an act of trans-media storytelling.

Less classes, more flexible roles

Despite its small number of characters, Strife allows players a higher customization, which blur the frontiers between classic roles or classes, something unusual in MMO/MMORPG games and even in MOBA’s. This way, players will be less tied to a specific game mode, so they can experience which kind of playing is better for them.

Visual management of skills by pets system

Pets in Strife are a way to show and manage in a visual way the skills of your character, leaving behind the bars-based systems with no more interaction in the game than the increased capabilities of our characters. Pets have their own skills and can even give your hero special powers in highest levels.

Drastic measures to avoid trolling

You can’t see other player’s stats or chat with players of the opposite team, something that fights “bad” competition. Besides, the game is clearly focused on sandbox model: the revenues are shared with other members of your team, which avoids the competition for resources inside the same guild.

Furthermore, there is a karma system based on community votes related to players’ actions. This is related to rewards players get, so being a troll won’t be good for anybody, while a good attitude will be rewarded with rare items. What developers don’t clarify is the fact that some players could give negative points deliberately in order to harm their opposites. However, Strife seems to be a “good-vibe” game, in which is better not to be a troll.

To sum up, we can say Strife is not just another MOBA game but a simpler, different and fresh game, focused on those players not used to this genre and who are not receiving enough attention from online games world. Besides, Strife could be a good start for young gamers and an example of good practices in community management and moderation – as long as the karma system works.

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